Thu Jul 24, 2014 at 15:00:00 PM EDT

LANSING, MI — Three names have surfaced in discussions of who might fill the seat being vacated by Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, who is currently finishing his final term in the House.

Two of them are from mid-Michigan.

State Reps. Kevin Cotter, R-Union Township, near Mount Pleasant, and Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, both say they are interested in the job.

My R is Cotter, and word on the street is that he has the backing of the Engler people, who are also local Rs. This would be terrible, because not only did Cotter have no experience in government before getting elected to the House, but he was in over his head in his first term. He was some Tea Party kid who get elected because the other local Rs hated the other R running for the seat.